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USA dominates 1st NACAC Senior Championships

The United States clearly dominated the inaugural North, Central American and Caribbean Championships (13-15 July) at the Flor Blanca National Stadium in San Salvador, where USA's Jordan Vaden (20.17 in 200m) and LaRon Bennett ( 48.76 in 400m hurdles) produced the highlights of the weekend.

With the largest delegation of the 26 participating countries, the US claimed 43 medals (28 gold, nine silver and six bronze), well ahead of Mexico (4-14-2), Trinidad & Tobago (3-3-5), the host country (3-1-2) and Jamaica (1-7-1). Canada and Cuba were the two main absentees.

Many of the 300 participating athletes from 26 nations used the 1st NACAC Champs as a tune-up for the 15th Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, whose athletics tournament will be held 22-29 July.

Runner-up at 200m at the 2006 USA Outdoors, 28-year-old Jordan Vaden saved the best of the Champs for Sunday (16) with his swift display over the 200m. Vaden, who ran 19.98 last year, blazed to a season's best of 20.17, aided by a 1.8 m/s legal wind, to claim the first of his two gold medals on the same day. He then joined the 4x100 squad who won the title in 38.99.

Vaden’s countryman Michael Mitchell, who has clocked 20.45 in the semi-finals, trailed in second (20.48), followed by Dominica's 400m specialist Chris Lloyd (20.73).

The men's 400m Hurdles also witnessed fast times as 2004 NACAC U23 champion LaRon Bennett and Belize's Jonathan Williams ran stride by stride until the final straight, when the American sped up to cross the finish line first in 48.76.The 24-year old was only 0.02 off his personal best of 48.74, set in 2004, and broke the 49-second barrier for the first time in 2007. Williams was pulled to a new Central American record of 48.88 to give his small country the only medal of the championships.

Outside of the USA, Saint Kitts and Nevis' Virgil Hodge was impressive in the half-lap, dipping under 23 seconds both in the semis and in the final. After a disappointing sixth in the 100m final, the 23-year old sprinter ran 22.73 in the final with a 2.2 tail wind.Trinidad and Tobago's Richard Thompson took the 100m crown in 10.33, only 0.002 seconds faster than USA's Monzavous Edwards in a very close photo finish.

Jamaica had to wait until the final day to clinch its first and only goal as Nadine Palmer, Rose Whyte, Annaisha McLaughlin and Peta-Gaye Dowdie joined efforts to win the 4x100m relay in 43.73 seconds, ahead of the USA (43.91) and Trinidad and Tobago (43.98).

El Salvador celebrated the two Race Walking wins, thanks to Walter Sandoval and 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games champion Cristina Lopez.

A total of 42 events were contested, 21 in each sex. The men's High Jump and women's 10,000m were not staged.